Manzil Entrepreneurs
Over the years, a number of Manzil’s former students have branched out into entrepreneurial endeavors of their own. We proudly share some of their stories below:
Dance Kabila: Dance Kabila was founded by our student Vijay Rawat in 2016. It provides a platform for the youth to pursue their passion for dance. Vijay recognises that many young people wish to dance but are unable to do so, due to financial constraints. The objective of Dance Kabila is to allow young people to dance professionally and become financially independent through it. The spirit that drives Dance Kabila’s efforts is of social responsibility, providing opportunities to deserving youngsters and a moral obligation to help each other. Dance Kabila encompasses within it Libaas Kabila (a nonprofit Costume Manufacturing Unit) and Dance For Cause (social initiative).
Libaas Kabila project educates youth and women (mainly from socially disadvantaged communities) through designing, manufacturing & renting costumes to various artists and companies. Dance for Cause helps youngsters discover themselves, nurture their lives through dance and enables them to become independent, confident and disciplined through dance workshops, teaching & performances. Dance for Cause has worked with various organizations, schools, colleges, learning centres and Tihar jail in Delhi.
For more details please log onto http://www.dancekabila.com/
Manzil Mystics. Manzil Mystics is a group of young people who are passionate about music and children’s development through music. The music created by Manzil Mystics is largely inspired by the philosophy of Kabir Das and the music of Prahlad Singh Tipaniyaji. The group started its journey with Manzil where the co-founders came together to form a group of musicians who sought to enable social change through music. By 2012, Manzil Mystics began to perform in college festivals, corporate events and commercial events. In the last few years, the number of music centers associated with Manzil Mystics has increased from 2 to 20. Manzil Mystics also runs a program called ‘Through Music’, the purpose of which is to cover issues such as gender sensitization, reproductive health and menstrual hygiene among adolescent girls and young women. Further, it conducts community events and awareness campaigns on social issues such as Saving the Environment and cancer awareness. The operative model at Manzil Mystics is a unique livelihood driven initiative, as musicians from low income communities are hired, intensively trained and placed in schools.
For more details please log onto http://www.manzilmystics.org/
Mantash. Mantash is a Delhi based band born after a group of young budding musicians found themselves collectively drawn to Kabir and his ideas received through oral tradition. They were first introduced to this idea at a music class in Manzil. As a young band, Mantash has been performing on stage for last three years as a music choir. They’ve had the opportunity to perform before the likes of His Holiness Dalai Lama and for organizations like Tech Mahinda, Vana Foundation and with Neeraj Arya’s Kabir Cafe. Inspired to offer music as a means to motivate people, Mantash sings Kabir folk, Hindustani classical and Bollywood rock fusion along with writing and composing their own songs! Mantash Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Mantash-234972957196694/
Learning by Locals: Learning by Locals is a registered NGO situated in a low-income community in New Delhi’s industrial area, Okhla. It was started by our former student Mr. Pradeep Kumar. The objective of Learning by Locals is to educate and empower today’s youth by helping to develop personal and professional skills and providing students with the right opportunities and guidance to achieve their goals. Any student above the age of 14 who is looking for direction, learning through collaboration and a supportive path can be a part of Learning by Locals. Currently, the centre conducts classes 7 days a week in various disciplines like English, computer science, theatre, music, and photography. These are attended by more than 100 students. The team takes pride in its students and puts its heart into making LBL a space where all students can dream about a better future for themselves with realistic hopes of achieving them.
For more details please log onto http://www.learningbylocals.org/
DrameBaaz. DrameBaaz is a Theater Group incubated by young artists and budding facilitators, under Manzil. The core purpose of its existence is to make Theater more inclusive and accessible for children and adults alike. Dramebaaz intends to do so with the following two offerings – a) ‘Manmanch’ uses Theater as a medium in schools for self development of children and b) Taking Theater as a form of entertainment to communities and homes that would otherwise shy away from it. The main focus of the group is not only to do theatre production, but also to facilitate self discovery, confidence and team spirit among school students. They aim to impact educational outcomes in schools not just by increasing student attendance but also by increasing student engagement and involvement in school activities.
Craftkari. The story of Craftkari is one of creativity, initiative and evolution. The group started out in 2006 as a small gathering of young women experimenting with different forms of Indian craft, supported by Manzil. After experimenting with stitching, abstract drawing and many other artforms they began focusing on quilling,-an ancient practise which involves rolling, shaping and gluing strips of papers together to create decorative designs. The craft was introduced to the girls by Ms. Indira Gulati , a co-founder of Manzil after she gained skills during a visit to Calcutta. Presently the products made at Craftkari include cards, gift boxes, gift sets, carry bags, coasters, and household decorative items.
More information is available on http://craftkari.in/